


The Whims of Time's Flow

by gazingatseiros



Category: Fire Emblem Series, Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Character Study, F/F, Rating May Change, Retelling, Rhea and Seiros are two different personalities, Rhea's POV, Silver Snow Route, some headcanons, tags will change, the pope is gay and she is in love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-07-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 01:33:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,283
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25146250
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gazingatseiros/pseuds/gazingatseiros
Summary: "Forgive me, Mother, I can't breathe. I said the word. I said her name. I touched her hair. She's the One. She's the One who did this to me."ORRhea's POV of her grief, her regretings for her actions and her feelings for Byleth through Silver Snow.
Relationships: My Unit | Byleth/Rhea
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	1. Prelude to the Nabateans

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be the second part of "The Ties that Bind Us" but, uuuuh, I decided to change a few things bcs I'm gay and I love the dragon wives. However, I kept some scenes that happen in the other fic, but this but fic can be read as an independent story.
> 
> Is important to keep in mind that in this fic Rhea and Seiros are two different personalities, that's why the pope goes feral sometimes and she talks with Seiros *suspense*
> 
> And, well, I hope you enjoy this Rhea's POV of Silver Snow!

_Tell me, Nemesis… Do you recall the Red Canyon?_

A stream of hot blood splattered her face, but the warrior didn't care about that. Her pain was spurring her to stab that hateful chest, that hateful face... that hateful human. The man who had killed her mother, her family and her people. The leader of those monsters who called themselves the Ten Elites. She swore that she would make them pay for their sins.

_You took… everything that I loved!_

Tears welled up in her eyes as the dawn light bathed her face, ending that vengeful frenzy that had possessed her body. The warrior breathed heavily, leaving the dagger stuck in Nemesis’ heart. She directed her gaze to the sword that monster was still wielding in his hand. She snatched the sword from him. The sword was completely covered by the blood of her soldiers, who had given their lives to defeat Nemesis. The warrior caressed the sword fondly and laid her face on its jagged edge. A sad smile appeared on her lips.

_He’s gone now, Mother…_

* * *

Rhea woke up alarmed, screaming those last words. Her face was soaked with tears, and her chest was agitated in a violent frenzy.

“No, not this again…!”

She covered her face with both hands. She felt the urge to dig her nails into her face and rip off her flesh in the most violent and bloody way possible. She couldn't bear anymore the pain she had been enduring for… how long? A thousand years? Plus?

She removed the white sheets and rose from her king size bed after moving the translucent white curtains that were hanging from the canopy. With quick steps, she left the room and went down to the monastery’s courtyard. She didn’t care that someone could saw her barefoot and wearing only a white nightgown that was enhancing her voluminous figure. Although, at that time of the night it was quite unlikely that someone could see her. She passed near the cathedral and headed to the Goddess Tower bridge. There, she stopped her steps and looked up at the sky.

“Come on… Where are you…?”

Her agitated breathing began to calm as she finally found the star she was looking for.

“Sirius…”

A subtle breeze stirred her long jade hair, revealing her pointy ears. Rhea instinctively covered them up. She hated them. She hated them with all her soul. Although, she wasn't sure if she hated her Nabatean ears or if she hated humans for being the cause of her being forced to hide her identity. She also hated her false name. Rhea. It sounded pathetic in men’s mouths. _Lady Rhea this, Lady Rhea that... Archbishop this, Archbishop that..._

_“Lady Archbishop.”_

A shiver ran down her spine. The way that woman had pronounced her title had made a great impression on her. And she didn't know why, because the woman's voice had sounded hollow, devoid of any emotion, like her eyes, totally dead inside. And yet, she was fascinated by her. Sitri's daughter.

Rhea pinched her cheek.

_Don't be a fool! You shouldn't be fascinated by the Goddess’ vessel!_

She was still mad with Jeralt. He had the audacity to lie to her face saying that his child had been born years after he left the monastery. Did he take her, Saint Seiros herself, for a fool? Did he think she wouldn't see his daughter's astonishing resemblance to Sitri?

_We know each other for 80 years, Jeralt Reus Eisner, and you have not changed a bit. You still lie like a child._

The woman sighed. She should be glad that, after 21 years, the bearer of her mother's heart had returned to the monastery. And, in addition, Nabatean blood was running through her veins, because to save Jeralt she had given him her own blood. It was the perfect vessel for his mother to resurrect. However, a sting in her chest was troubling her since the new professor's blue eyes met hers the first time. The fact that the young woman had come to her because she wanted to know the precepts of Saint Seiros and the history of the Church didn’t help either to calm down that anxious feeling. And she, fascinated, had lent the professor her own books.

“Sometimes you are so stupid and weak that you disgust me”, she said to herself.

She remembered when, after the mock battle between the three houses, she had to suppress a smile when the Black Eagles professor had sarcastically replied to Seteth.

_“My sincerest apologies, advisor. Mercenaries have more muscle than brain.”_

Goddess, her face didn’t show any emotion, but her words and actions said otherwise. And she couldn't help but smile when, every Sunday, the professor came into the audience chamber to talk with her about what she had done and learned during the week.

The woman leaned against the edge of the bridge. In the distance, the dawn was coming.

She was afraid. The last time she had felt like this was with...

_No. Do not think about that. She is different, she is not their shadow._

She wasn't their shadow, but she was Sothis' vessel. Rhea bit her lip. She had to keep an eye on her closely, but carefully, she couldn't afford to develop… feelings for her.

_Feelings! Are you hearing yourself?!_

Rhea dug her nails into her palms when she heard that _voice_. Seiros voice.

She’s Seiros, but... but not _that_ bloodthirsty Seiros, the one who was born when... when the Red Canyon Tragedy happened. No. She’s Rhea. She’s now Rhea, even though she hates that name. She can’t be Seiros again and let insanity take control of her body and emotions.

“Shut up, Seiros. You would not understand that.”

The voice in her head chuckled. Seiros reminded her that her goal was to resurrect mother. And that she shouldn’t be distracted by minutiae typical of men. Rhea scratched her forearms. She knew that, she was aware which was her goal. She also wants to resurrect mother, but... she’s afraid. If she fails again, she will lose not only Sothis again, but that woman as well. She wants to pronounce her name, but anxiety hits her chest at the thought of it.

_Mother, please, guide me. Come back to me and claim your place. Before that woman leads me to perdition._


	2. I Can't Breathe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> But her heart pounded when the professor thanked her for telling her that story about her father. There was no emotion on her face, but Rhea noticed a sparkle in her deep blue eyes. A spark that she had never seen before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Byleth: *starts to show emotions*
> 
> Rhea: haha I hope this doesn't awaken anything in me *sweats*

Could it be that Mother hadn’t yet awoken inside the vessel? That would explain why the professor hadn’t reacted when she asked what she thought about her visit to Zanado. Although, it was also her fault for having told her that story about the arrival of the goddess to Fódlan and the false guidance of Seiros. What a fool she was, Mother knew the story, the truth. But not the professor. Sometimes she wondered if she was talking to Mother or to that woman.

 _Whatever_ , she thought. She had more urgent things to worry about, such as Lonato’s offense towards her person, that fool who has risen up in arms against the Church. _Her_ Church.

The doors of the audience chamber opened and Jeralt's daughter entered. Rhea remained calm. This wasn’t the moment to think about Mother and _her_.

Shortly after Catherine entered. The Archbishop scrutinized her most loyal knight. Blond hair, blue eyes. Same as her ancestor, the one who received Thunderbrand from Nemesis.

 _Charon_.

She would never forget the satisfaction she felt when she stabbed his chest with Thunderbrand itself instead of her sword. How delicious had been that moment, seeing how life vanished into Charon’s eyes as he tried to stop the bleeding.

“Lady Rhea.”

Rhea blinked. She took a deep breath and explained the new mission to the professor. Put an end to Lonato's rebellion.

“This mission should prove useful in demonstrating to the students…”, suddenly her tone went cold and threatening. Seiros was speaking for her. “…how foolish it would be to ever turn their blades on the church.”

* * *

The woman counted to three before approaching the knight who was waiting for her at the door of her chambers. She had a long and tiring day giving sermons in the cathedral and having a meeting with Seteth and some bishops to now have to attend to one of his knights as well. She took a deep breath and forced a convincing smile.

“Good night, Richard. May I help you?”

The knight put his fist on his chest in greeting.

“Archbishop, I just wanted to report that Professor Eisner asked about you this afternoon.”

_Oh._

Rhea suppressed the sound that was about to come from her lips. Did the professor ask about her? What did she want? But she remembered that she had left her some books. The professor surely just wanted to return them. Rhea's expression remained neutral, but inside she was disappointed. However, she was curious. She wanted to talk with her.

“Thank you, Richard. Anything else to report?”

“Nothing more to report, Archbishop. Good night.”

The woman watched the knight walking away until he disappeared from her sight. When she stopped hearing his metallic footsteps, she leaned her forehead against the door of her chambers.

“Control yourself, Rhea.”

She pulled herself together and entered the room.

* * *

“You sent for me, Lady Rhea?”

Rhea blinked in surprise. She was so abstracted that Cyril's voice caught her off guard.

“Ah, Cyril, dear… yes…”

Rhea looked at the sealed envelope she was holding. She bit her lip.

 _What are you doing?!,_ Seiros roared.

A shudder ran through Rhea's body. What was she doing? Neither she didn't know. But she wanted to see the professor.

“Cyril, please deliver this letter to the professor.”

The boy took the letter and said goodbye with a slight bow. Rhea bit her fingernail as Cyril closed the office's door behind him.

Five minutes had passed.

Then, ten minutes passed. She tapped her fingers against the desk’s surface.

Fifteen minutes. The chimes sounded, announcing that it was twelve o’clock in the morning.

She took a deep breath.

She waited another five minutes. The professor should have already read the letter. She left the office and went up to her chambers.

Another five minutes passed. She smoothed the folds of the dress. She was sure that the professor would come. Her developed ears heard rushing footsteps climbing the stairs. She couldn't help but smile as she opened the door and found _her_ face to face.

“Welcome, professor”, she greeted, stepping aside to let the professor in. “This is the first time I have welcomed you here, it isn’t?”

 _"Of course it's the first time you welcome her here, stupid woman!"_ , Seiros said harshly.

“There’s no need to be nervous. Please, come closer.”

The professor entered the chambers. Rhea closed the door softly behind her and watched out of the corner of her eye that the professor was looking attentively the room. There was no emotion on her face. Rhea didn't know if she liked the room or if she was thinking that was awful. Rhea sneakily dug her nails into the palms of her sweaty hands.

“When you speak with me here in this room, you’re not speaking with the Archbishop, but with Rhea”, she said, looking at her in the eyes. “It’s just me.”

The young woman blinked. To Rhea's surprise, she said she was nervous.

 _“But I appreciate that you have invited me”_ , the professor said.

Rhea held her breath. A nervous laugh came from her lips.

“Such a sweet child… Oh, my apologies!”, her cheeks slightly blushed. “I shouldn’t be treating you like a child. As Jeralt’s kin, somehow you don’t seem at all a stranger to me…”

The silence fall upon them. Rhea began to feel uneasy. To break the ice, she asked if Jeralt had ever talked about her. The young woman didn’t reply. But Rhea noticed that she was... tense? It pained her that Jeralt never talked to her daughter about her. She understood that the captain of the Knights of Seiros didn’t hold her in high esteem. Not after what happened. But it was unfair that he treated her like this after all they had lived through, after their long-standing friendship. Rhea sighed. She thanked the professor for being honest, although she hadn't said anything, but her silence said more than a thousand words.

“Never mind”, she said. “Since you’re here, shall I tell you about the Jeralt that I knew?”

The young woman nodded. Rhea couldn't help but clap her hands in delight and told her to sit in one of the chairs.

For a couple of hours that seemed only a few minutes, Rhea told her how she and Jeralt had met. She remembered the day as if it was yesterday when, bored from her obligations as archbishop, she decided to accompany the Knights of Seiros and a group of mercenaries they hired, including Jeralt, on a mission. But they were ambushed and Jeralt received and attack that meant for her. To this day, she still didn’t understand why Jeralt risked his life for an unknown woman. Many times, she had asked him about that, but never received an answer. Jeralt always changed the subject.

 _"Your weak heart was the reason he has your Crest after you gave him a bit of your blood so he could live",_ Seiros reproached her.

Rhea winced in her mind. That was true, she gave her blood to Jeralt. She still didn't know why she did it, but at that moment she had the urge to save him no matter what. Perhaps Jeralt reminded her of Wilhelm.

 _"… That bastard"_ , Seiros' voice was full of pain. Wilhelm was a memory that it was better not to stir it.

The truth is that, once Jeralt recovered, she invited him to join the Knights of Seiros and he accepted. For almost sixty years he belonged to the knights until he become their captain. Years later he met Sitri. But Rhea omitted these details in her narration.

Rhea tightened the sleeves of her dress. No. This wasn’t the time or place to think about Sitri. She swallowed and ended the story. She had talked too much about the past. But her heart pounded when the professor thanked her for telling her that story about her father. There was no emotion on her face, but Rhea noticed a sparkle in her deep blue eyes. A spark that she had never seen before. She noticed that her cheeks were turning reddish.

“Well, at the monastery there aren’t many who know that. I tell you this because… to me, you’re the child of the one who saved my life all those years ago. And also…”

She fell silent. The professor encouraged her to continue. But she wasn't going to say anything about _that_. No, she can’t.

“Never mind. It is nothing”, she looked at the window. A pegasus was flying in circles in the sky, guided by a rider. She smiled and turned her attention back to the professor. “I simply wanted to say that I trust you.”

Rhea laid her hands in her lap.

“Professor… By coming to visit me today, you have… Well…”

She fell silent again. Doubt was corroding her. Should she say that or not? But by the time she was going to answer her own internal question, her voice spoke for herself.

“Suffice it to say that my day is brighter than it otherwise would have been. I thank you for that”.

The young woman didn’t react.

_Oh._

She felt stupid, very stupid. But she smiled anyway. The professor was a vessel. What difference did it make? She should focus on bring back Mother to life.

* * *

Seiros was furious. As she read the letter, her blood boiled more and more. Did that stupid man really plan to murder her? _Her_? The holy and mighty Saint Seiros? The daughter of the Goddess and head of the almighty Church? She crumpled the letter between her hands.

She counted to three and took a deep breath.

Now she was Rhea again. And she was visibly nervous. Someone was plotting to murder her.

The burden on her chest was relieved when she saw the professor entering the audience chamber.

“Goddess! I’m glad to see that you have returned safely. The goddess is gracious with her divine protection. But it wasn’t only her divine protection that shielded you, was it? You’re just as skilled as I had hoped”, she smiled. “But… I’m worried. I heard some of the students were… hesitant about fighting militia.”

Those last words came from Seiros. Rhea felt a throbbing in her neck. Seiros continued speaking in her place.

“However, we must punish any sinner who may inflict harm upon believers, even if those sinners are civilians. I pray the students learned a valuable lesson about the fate that awaits all who are foolish enough to point their blades towards the heavens.”

Rhea felt an urgent need to scratch her forearms until they bleed. She had to silence Seiros before she said things to which she would have to be held accountable later. Fortunately, Seteth intervened.

“Our real concern is what Catherine reported. The secret message that was in Lord Lonato’s possession. It contained a deplorable plot to target the Archbishop on the day of the Goddess’s Rite of Rebirth. The plan seems unrealistic at best… But a threat is a threat. We must maintain constant vigilance”, Seteth cleared his throat. “To that end, I would like for you and your students to help with security on the day of the ritual.”

Both siblings looked at the professor. She nodded. She said she won’t let Rhea down.

Rhea breathed relief. A sincere smile appeared on her lips.

* * *

Rhea leaned her forehead against her bedroom door. How could she have been so careless and not have controlled the force of her punch when she was teaching brawling to the professor? It had been so many years since the las time she fought with her bare hands that she didn’t remember her own strength. She slammed her forehead against the door. She broke the professor's nose. She instantly healed it with a spell, and she apologized to her. The professor said that it was nothing. But Rhea wasn’t sure. Those blue eyes were still dead, lacking any emotion.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps climbing the stairs that led to the third floor. She moved away from the door. Who could be coming? She waited patiently until the stranger knocked on the door.

_Oh._

Rhea couldn’t suppress her surprise when she opened the door to meet those aquatic eyes. The blush on her cheeks could no longer be hidden when the professor formally invited her to have tea with her. Rhea’s stomach flipped.

* * *

Unable to fall asleep, Rhea went downstairs to her office. There, she opened one of the drawers of the desk and extracted a box from it. Inside were several owl feathers of different sizes and colors. She picked up an intermediate-sized black feather and stared at it. During the Blue Sea Moon, the young woman had given her several gifts. Sometimes green ink, other times flowers – _Flowers? Why flowers?_ , she wondered– and those beautiful owl feathers with which she made her own quills.

 _“Oh, I adore this!”_ , Seiros said mockingly.

Rhea ignored Seiros’ voice. She caressed the black feather. The professor, despite being a vessel, was being very considerate with her. Even when they had tea the other day, she listened carefully to each one of her words. She even asked her questions. _Why there are so many animals in the monastery_?, the professor had asked.

The woman played with the feather in her hands. Until the professor asked that, she hadn't realized that, indeed, there were _too_ many animals in the monastery. Dogs, cats, pegasi, horses, fishes, turtles, rabbits… Goddess, they even had birds of all sizes and colors. She really loved animals. Maybe that was why there were too many, but the truth is that animals made her feel less lonely among so many humans. Seteth and Flayn were also here with her, but because of their façade, she couldn't talk to them how she would like or be with them as long as she would like. And that frustrated her a lot.

 _At least, they're with me_ , she thought.

And that was true. At least they were with her in that century. For with each passing century, Seteth changed his disguise and protected Flayn during her slumber. Seteth had been forced “disappear” some years so that no one suspected that he and her daughter were immortal. However, Rhea didn’t disappear, nor she hide in the shadows. She simply feigned her abdication when people started to be suspicious about her eternal youth. Deluded humans, they didn’t realize that every new archbishop they crowned was her again, but with other hairstyle, other clothes. _It’s a blessing from the Goddess_ , they said trying to justify that all their archbishops were alike.

Rhea sighed. She started thinking about how attentive the professor was and ended up thinking about the humans’ foolishness. She had totally lost track of her thoughts.

_I wonder…_

She looked at the feather. The black color reminded her of the vessel. Perhaps the fact that her behavior was changing was because Mother was finally awaking inside her. Rhea smiled. The day to see her again was close. _So_ close. She finally would be held in her arms again.

_We will finally meet again, Mother._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sure that Jeralt has at least 80 years thanks to Rhea's blood, you can't convince me otherwise


	3. I Said the Word

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The hiccups of the last children of the Goddess broke the silence of her brethren’s resting place. Rhea was afraid. She didn’t want to die submerged in a rampant state with her mind fractured and the sight of those dark blue eyes fading away from her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay, but these days were wild af and I haven't had much time, but here it's

Rhea couldn't believe her eyes. The professor not only had thwarted the attack of those Western Church followers. She also had awakened the power of the Sword of the Creator. She had awakened the power of her mother’s bones. Rhea’s feelings were conflicted. She was happy to see that the professor was the bearer of the flames, but at the same time she felt sick. The sight of her mother's bones assembled into that jagged sword churned her entrails.

“As all of you have committed a breach of faith, the Archbishop will now pass judgement.”

Rhea blinked in surprise. She had been lost in her thoughts until she heard Seteth’s deep voice. Next to her was Shamir. The three of them were in the cathedral, passing judgement to the Western Church followers.

“Inciting a Kingdom noble to rebel. Unlawful entry. The attempted assassination of the Archbishop. An attack on the Holy Mausoleum. It’s unnecessary to go on, followers of the Western Church.”

A cruel and merciless laugh echoed inside her head. She closed her eyes, afraid of what was going to happen. The worst part of her role as the Archbishop was approaching.

“What?! We have nothing to do with the Western Church!”

“You have already been identified. Please spare us your second-rate theater.”

Rheae sighed before feeling a strong pounding.

When she opened her eyes, Seiros passed judgement.

“Dishonoring a holy ceremony is worthy of death for a member of the church. You’re well past the hop of redemption”, a devilish smile crept on her lips. “If you have any grace remaining, you’ll willingly offer your life as atonement for this crime.”

Seiros eyes shone with an inhuman glow. They shone with the fluorescent green glow of the Nabateans.

“No! This isn’t what we were told would happen! We’ve been deceived!”

She lifted her chin, looking down at that pitiful man with hatred. Before she could say anything, Shamir talked.

“It’s no use arguing! Whatever your excuse, the punishment stands.”

Seiros considered the idea of ordering Shamir to execute them right there. It would be an interesting spectacle to see the cathedral's altar soaked with impure blood. But she refrained her bloody fantasies.

“May your souls find peace as they return to the goddess…”

She chuckled to herself. The Goddess wouldn’t grant peace to their souls.

“Wait! Please! The goddess would never forgive you for our execution!”

“Monster! We know you’ve already slaughtered many of our fellow brethren like this!”

She felt her blood boiling. That pathetic creature dared to dishonor her, Saint Seiros. It was enough to raise an eyebrow to order the knights to approach them.

“This concludes the investigation. Please remove these poor, lost souls from my sight.”

Rhea felt another pounding.

Seiros sank into the silence, hidden in the deepest of her heart.

* * *

The professor solemnly offered her the Sword of the Creator. Rhea's fingertips burned as she caressed the edge of the sword. A chill ran down her spine.

_Mother…_

She had spent the night awake in the Holy Tomb, kneeling before her mother’s coffin, crying and praying for the peace that her soul couldn’t reach. The memoirs of her mother’s corpse mutilated in Zanado hit her like a dagger stabbing her chest merciless. But she had to put herself back. For the shake of her long desire.

Rhea swallowed hard. She finally removed her hand from the edge of the sword.

“For now… I will entrust the sword to you. Please, use it wisely.”

Seteth and Seiros's roars sounded in unison. The advisor looked like a raged beast about to pounce on his prey. Seiros kept screaming in her thoughts.

 _“Wait! Are you going to give our Mother's bones to the vessel?! You piece of garbage...!”_ , Seiros shouted.

“Lady Rhea, wait! Do you truly mean to give the Sword of the Creator to this stranger?!”

Rhea dug her nails into the palms of her hands when Seteth mentioned the name of Nemesis and the professor repeated it in a low voice, as if she had remembered something. The idea that Mother could be remembering the moment she was slaughtered by Nemesis broke her heart.

“Lady Rhea, I beg you to reconsider. Given a little more time, we could more accurately assess this stranger’s abilities”, his brother said.

Then she saw it, she saw a glimpse of humanity in the professor. There was determination in her aquamarine eyes, as deep as the ocean itself. A tiny smile appeared on Rhea’s lips.

“No”, she replied. “I have faith, Seteth”, she stared into the professor's eyes, searching beyond them, reading her soul. She had clearly showed an emotion for the first time. “Faith that our friend here won’t be corrupted by wickedness.”

Rhea’s chest relaxed. Everything would be alright, she thought.

“Since the death of Nemesis, none have been able to wield the Sword of the Creator. Now, after all those long years of being sealed away, it has returned and found a new master.”

The sword had found a new master because that woman had Sothis's heart. She was the bearer of the flames, the power of the Goddess that could awaken that relic.

* * *

“Why are you so interested in the professor?”

Rhea looked up from the book she was reading.

“What do you mean… _Cichol_?”

Her brother stiffened at the hearing of his name.

“You know what I mean… _Seiros_ ”, he replied bitterly.

Rhea’s face remained neutral, glaring at her brother. Seteth sat down in front of her.

“Why did you request her to be a professor? She may be Jeralt's daughter, but we did not know anything about her or if she was capable of even teaching.”

Rhea sarcastically smiled.

“And you were wrong in your judgment. She is more than capable.”

Seteth clenched his jaw.

“… And I was wrong in my judgment. I admit it. But that does not explain why you gave her the sword... the remains of our Mother. She is not worthy to wield it.”

Rhea closed the book and placed it on the desk. Seteth noticed that it was a book about pegasi. He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.

“She is the only one worthy to carry our Mother. You saw it, you saw that the sword awoke in her hands after centuries submerged in a lethargy that seemed eternal.”

Rhea felt Seteth’s glare piercing her skin.

“Are you telling me that she bears... the Crest of Flames?”

Rhea fell silent. She had slipped her tongue. Seteth squinted at her. Finally, he sighed and got up from his seat.

“Rhea, I respect your decision. But if you want me to help you, I would like you to trust me your secrets”, he said before leaving the office and closing the door behind him.

The woman opened the book again. She didn't want to think about the sword, her Mother, and… _that_ woman.

* * *

Before Seiros arrived at Zanado she knew something _bad_ happened. Something that would haunt her until her flesh was consumed, until her bones were rotten. The bitter smell of blood filled her lungs, piercing them like the hunter’s spear digging into the flesh of a tender prey. The youngest daughter of the Goddess run through the empty and bloodied streets of Zanado. Her tears of pure terror ran down her cheeks as she tried to not look at the amount of slaughtered bodies of her brethren. A flame rose to the sky, burning the buildings underneath it. Soon, Zanado wasn’t only covered with blood, but with fire. Seiros rushed into the temple in which her mother was resting in a long slumber.

“NO!”

She fell down to her knees, hitting the cold soil with her bare fists.

“MOTHER, NO, NO!!”

A trail of blood coming from the open coffin was all the proof she needed. The Goddess had been killed during her slumber. Seiros crawled on the ground, approaching the coffin. Her legs were suddenly so weak that she couldn’t stand up and walk.

“No, no, no… This must be a dream, Mother, you cannot be…”

A distorted scream sprung from her lips when she saw the interior of the coffin. Inside there was a corpse so mutilated that nobody would had recognized it. But Seiros did because of the white lilies, now stained with green blood, that were laying near the remaining half body of her Mother. The last children of the Goddess kept screaming and crying until she fell unconscious.

When she woke up, the tears were still falling down her cheeks, but her gaze was different. A gaze full of hatred and wrath. A gaze that could strike down an entire army with her piercing green eyes. In the moment Seiros picked up his Mother's bloody lilies and placed them in her hair, her soul split in two. A beast was born. A beast that the world would know as the Immaculate One.

* * *

Rhea rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of the remaining memories of that sickening dream. How many times did she dream with that fateful day? She had lost the count of it. She had lived for more than a thousand years. How would she remember all the times that she dreamed about that?

The exhausted Archbishop sighed. In front of her it was her Mother’s coffin, now placed in the depths of Garreg Mach. In the Holy Tomb that nobody knew, except her and the other children of the Goddess.

Her hair stood on an end when she heard steps. Rhea quickly turned around. The sight of the person in front of her could had been a thunderclap for how it struck Rhea’s heart, shaking her deepest fears.

“It is been a while, Rhea.”

Rhea stepped back, trying to walk away from that ghost of her past. A ghost that was too real in her nearly delirious mind.

“Go away, Seiros. You… you cannot be here… You are not real!”, Rhea yelled, the terror reflected in her voice.

The warrior saint chuckled with a harsh laugh that was far away from the soft laugh of the Archbishop. Rhea was paralyzed. Seiros approached her and placed her hand on Rhea’s cheek, sending a shiver down her. Rhea stiffened at the touch of Seiros long claws, menacing to tear her pale skin. There was a devilish glow on the holy warrior’s pale eyes, but she took her hand away from Rhea’s face.

“Do not be so stupid”, Seiros replied. She left Rhea’s side, heading to the coffin of Sothis. Rhea clenched her jaw when she saw Seiros touching the surface of the coffin. “I am thou”, she said, looking Rhea in the eye. “Thou art I.”

The scratch of Seiros claws rubbing the marble surface made Rhea to cover her hears. Seiros grimaced, enjoying the reaction she has caused.

“Besides, we both know that the one that should not exist is you. You are a part of me that should had died when we found Mother’s corpse.”

“Shut up…”

“I admire your strength. Somehow you managed to restrain me after you killed Nemesis. No. After _I_ killed Nemesis”, Seiros corrected her own statement. “You did not want to kill him. You wanted to ask him why he slaughtered our brethren. You wanted to ask him who helped him.”

Rhea was biting her lips so hard that she tasted her own blood that was coming from a tiny wound.

“I said… shut up.”

Seiros laughed. The floating magic of the Holy Tomb twisted around her.

“Is that all you can say? _Shut up_? I could had tolerated your existence if you did not forgive the humankind!”, the war saint’s voice quickly rose. “They killed our family, our friends, everything that we loved!! And you choose to forgive them for their sins!!”, she yelled. A distorted roar came from her mouth. “How can you trust humans?!”

“I do not trust them!”, Rhea replied, approaching Seiros and confronting her.

Seiros eyes widened, but she pushed Rhea away.

“Then why did you forgive them?! Why did you not kill them?! I will had done that if you did not exist!”

“I…”

Seiros grabbed Rhea’s wrist, crushing it with all her mighty. Rhea let out a painful groan.

“You still think that humanity is not the responsible of Mother’s death.”

Rhea didn’t reply. Seiros screamed. Without hesitating she punched Rhea’s face. The Archbishop fell to the ground, startled by the sudden attack.

“You still think that the Agarthans are alive!”

Rhea swallowed hard, trying to hold back her wrath.

“I thought you had reached the peak of your stupidity with that whole Agarthan nonsense”, Rhea saw Seiros forked tongue licking her lips. “You had one task. Bring back Mother to life.”

Rhea felt an ounce of pain near to her heart. Suddenly, she felt she couldn’t breathe. Terrified, she realized she was choking on her own blood. The Sword of Seiros was dug into her chest.

“You…!”

The war saint smiled, showing her sharp draconic fangs. But quickly she furrowed and the smile vanished.

“Despite having one task, somehow you managed to be a complete failure. It is your fault that Mother died alone.”

“No!”

Rhea coughed, trying to breathe in a pool of green blood.

“It is your fault that Mother is still dead, alone in the darkness.”

“Please, stop…! I can resurrect her, I… can…!”

Seiros sighed, digging even more the sword into her other self’s chest.

“My poor, poor little girl”, she chanted, like she was scolding a child. “I would believe your words if I had not seen your face, if I had not felt your emotions when the vessel came to your room.”

Rhea gasped.

“What do you me-”

A high-pitched scream echoed through the Holy Tomb. A stream of blood violently emerged from the deep wound that the sword made.

“I saw the rosy shade of your cheeks when the vessel smiled at you.”

Rhea shivered. She invited the professor to pay her a visit in her room. She didn’t know what to expect, anything else but that brief warm smile she saw on the professor’s lips. A smile that felt like the sun passing through the clouds after a storm.

“I felt your heartbeat beating so fast, so hard that I genuinely thought it was going to break your ribs and kill you. A shame that did not happen.”

Despite the agony, Rhea’s cheeks flushed as she remembered the reddish face of the professor blushing when she heard the Archbishop’s soft laughter.

“I heard your mind saying heretic things”, the breath of Seiros brushed Rhea’s ear, sending a shiver down her back. “I heard your thoughts betraying me and Mother.”

Rhea felt lightheaded, she was falling unconscious after loosing a lot of blood.

“I heard how you sang a _hallelujah_ ”, Seiros voice turned somber. “You enjoyed the way your name sprung from the vessel’s lips.”

Rhea said nothing. Seiros roared, throwing away her sword and choking Rhea with her bare hands.

“Do… Not… Dare… To say… The _word_!”

“I did it”, the Archbishop smiled. “I said the word”, she whispered before falling unconscious.

* * *

Rhea opened her eyes. Her face was covered in tears. There wasn’t blood on her nor a deep wound in her chest. She threw a hand loosely over her eyes. The magic of the Holy Tomb was so dense that she was feeling overwhelmed by it.

“Did I dream it…?”

The voice of Seiros was gone, but Rhea felt an insistent itch that she couldn’t get rid of. She didn’t exactly dream.

It was all in her fragile mind.

Rhea dug the nails in her palms. She heard terrible stories about the creeping madness that waits at the eternity’s end of the Nabateans. A ruin that all dragons share. Their only end is one of total annihilation. The existence of the other part of herself overcoming her was the proof of her closer demise.

The hiccups of the last children of the Goddess broke the silence of her brethren’s resting place. Rhea was afraid. She didn’t want to die submerged in a rampant state with her mind fractured and the sight of those dark blue eyes fading away from her.

Rhea laid on the cold dark soil, whispering to herself.

“Forgive me, Mother. I said the word.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh, yeah, I have Seiros brainworms and the chapter is completely focused on Rhea, but I think her complex personality is interesting to explore, specially to understand the evolution of her relationship with Byleth.
> 
> And the dragon's creeping madness is a reference to Mila's words in Echoes *winks*

**Author's Note:**

> I'll post one or two chapter per week.
> 
> Aaaand comments are truly appreciate <3


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